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Melbourne United down Brisbane Breakers in NBL Cup thriller
Melbourne United have set a franchise record as they extended their barnstorming start to the NBL season with a tough 87-84 victory over New Zealand Breakers.
United outscored the Breakers in three of the four quarters during Friday s clash at John Cain Arena on their way to notching their best start to a season after 11 games with a 10-1 win-loss record.
The individual brilliance of guard Tai Webster kept the Breakers in the contest but Jock Landale (23 points) and Mitch McCarron (17 points, seven assists, seven rebounds) guided Melbourne home in a tense finish.
Tai Webster shows some dazzle on the dribble in the Breakers NBL Cup clash against Melbourne United.
The Breakers had a sniff of the upset of the NBL season at John Cain Arena on Friday night, and then it was taken away from them in a flurry of Melbourne United excellence when it mattered down the stretch. For all four quarters the Breakers went toe to toe with the competition s best side in the NBL Cup clash on United’s home floor, and it was only Melbourne’s superior depth, their top-end experience and a key 10-0 run in the final term that got Dean Vickerman s side up to a hard-fought 87-84 victory.
Our Roundtable is back to answer some of those burning questions.
Currently at 6-0 going into the hub, is Melbourne United far and away the best team in the NBL?
Olgun Uluc: They really are. At a risk of sounding like a broken record, United just has so many top-tier pieces to be a contender, but then boast near-perfect role players to make them the title favourite.
When healthy, United just has too many weapons, and the chemistry seems to be at a point where everyone knows his role going into each game. But then, even in their game against the Hawks - where they were missing Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, and Jo Lual Acuil Jr. - they could then lean on the likes of Mitch McCarron and Jock Landale to be their superstars. Those two players have taken a step back, relative to their ceiling, for the betterment of the team; as much as the talent makes them the favourites to win it all, that type of selflessness is what clearly separates them from the pack.
Melbourne United confident role players can cover for injured stars Chris Goulding and Shea Ili
Basketball by Michael Randall When one man goes down, another man gets his chance. Coach Dean Vickerman has revealed defensive guard Shea Ili will miss at least three weeks of basketball as the club sweats on scans on a calf injury to talisman Chris Goulding. It s not ideal, but it is something Melbourne United - more than any other NBL club - is equipped to deal with, thanks to its depth. One of the biggest strengths of our team is our depth - when one man goes down or comes out of the game, we re not losing anything at all when the next guy comes in, rookie stud Jack White said Sunday after United s tight 75-71 victory over arch rival Perth.